Work Text:
The sharp clang of the hospital doors echoed through the sterile hallways of EliteMed Hospital, and Dr. Lev Haiba stood still in the middle of the trauma bay, his gaze fixed on the chart in his hands. He wasn’t one to get flustered by anything—dead bodies, car accidents, even life-or-death surgeries—he could handle them all. But when the attending nurse called him in to consult on a new patient with severe internal bleeding, something in her voice made him pause.
*“Lev, you need to come now. The boy’s in bad shape.”*
The boy. The word cut through the fog in his mind. He was used to seeing young patients, but there was something about this one. Something different that he could really tell what this meant.
He didn't know why, but his heartbeat picked up as he walked toward the operating room.
Yaku Morisuke, a man who was no older than 20 lay unconscious on the operating table, surrounded by beeping monitors and flashing emergency lights. His chest was bandaged, his breathing shallow. His body was covered in bruises, but it was his mind that was the real casualty, trapped somewhere between life and death. The car accident had left him broken—his ribs crushed, arm fractured, and his spinal cord injured. The trauma surgeon knew the risks. There was a real possibility Yaku would never walk again.
But the one thing that caught his attention was his beautiful face with a grace that reminded him of something so fragile that could break down so easily.
As Lev's hands moved with precision, the flickering of the sterile white lights made him feel like he was moving through a dream. It was during the most delicate part of the surgery, while he was trying to control internal bleeding, that the angel appeared.
A sudden shift in the air. A warmth, and then…
*“You must save him.”*
Lev froze, his scalpel hovering over Yaku’s wound. He blinked, feeling a wave of vertigo rush over him. The figure was glowing softly, its presence unmistakable. The angel's voice was calm, serene, like the faintest whisper in the back of his mind.
*“He is dying. He carries the disease... Hanahaki.”*
Lev swallowed. He didn’t have time for hallucinations. But when the angel stepped closer, his breath caught in his throat. The figure looked directly at him, eyes glowing with an otherworldly understanding.
*“You can save him, but it will cost you... Everything.”*
Lev’s heart stopped. His breathing hitching, he forced himself not to make his hand tremble.The angel continued, its voice a quiet hum.
*“The disease is passed through generations, and the only cure… is the sacrifice of a life. Your life. You will die in two months, but in exchange, he will live.”*
Lev’s chest tightened. The room seemed to close in around him, the rhythmic beeping of the machines growing louder.
*“Why?”*
*“Because you are bound to him, Lev Haiba. You always have been. It is fate. “
The angel's voice sounded calm, serene, and unshakable . Like the things he or she was saying wasn't a request, it wasn't his choice to make. It was his sole destiny
Lev’s hands were slick with sweat as he kept working struggling to keep up with this revelation. He has been prepared for a long life spending his days saving lives keeping distances from their consequences. He always knew that life wasn't so easy. But this was something else entirely. How could he throw away his life? Why would he choose this? For a patient? For a boy he had only just met?
You can save him but you must give yourself that was what the angel told him
Lev’s heart was raising and before he could say something the angel vanished leaving him alone with his patient with the weight of the choice hanging him over like a shadow.
---
Yaku woke in a room lit with soft, fluorescent light. His head felt like a storm was brewing inside it, and his body was an aching mess. The last thing he remembered was the sound of the screeching tires and then—nothing.
The sudden sensation of someone’s touch brought him back to the present. He blinked, and there, standing beside his bed, was the surgeon from earlier. Dr. Lev Haiba, looking impossibly calm as he adjusted the IV drip by his side.
“Yaku…” Lev said, his voice low, the word tasting foreign on his tongue. “You’re awake.”
Yaku stared up at him, feeling a strange heat crawl up his neck. The surgeon was handsome in a quiet, stoic way, his eyes intense but distant. He had a magnetic presence, one that made Yaku feel both seen and invisible all at once.
Yaku swallowed, trying to force his parched throat to work. ” Where am I?”
“You’re in EliteMed. You were in an accident. A bad one.” Lev's eyes softened for a brief second, and Yaku noticed the way his hands seemed to tremble ever so slightly as they adjusted the tubes in his body.
Yaku nodded slowly, his mind still foggy. He could still remember a few things: the crash, the sound of the tires screeching, the impact then he couldn't remember anymore. He had been close to death. He knew it but something didn't feel right. How come by some miracle he had survived.
A wave of gratitude mixed with something deeper, something he couldn't quite place swept through him this surgeon had saved his life.
Thank you said Yaku
Lev’s expression shifted almost a tightness on his mouth. You're welcome. But his gaze there was something that he couldn't quite figure out. Something Yaku couldn’t quite uncover.
Days passed, and Yaku slowly began to recover. His body was a patchwork of pain and bruises, but it was the emotional toll that weighed him down the most. His family didn’t come to visit. They never did. His dream of becoming a doctor, the one thing he was truly passionate about, felt like a distant memory.
The more he noticed Lev he began to observe subtle tremors in his hands when he adjusted the Iv’s. There was something there, something Lev wasn't telling him.
You're too hard on yourself, why do you assume everything is your fault Yaku said with a hoarse voice.
Lev became silent for a moment, Yaku was too worried he wasn't sure if he would respond. Yaku said with a tone that sounded like an invitation for him to speak the truth.
It’s my job to fix people said Lev
But who fixes you then said Yaku
Lev looked at him and really looked at him and for a moment the walls cracked just slightly he responded “No one."
Yaku's chest tightened. At that moment he knew that Lev was drowning in his own guilt in a world where he doesn't let anyone help in any way.
Lev was there every day. Sometimes it was to check on his wounds, other times to review his recovery progress, but most of the time, it was just the two of them in the quiet of the sterile hospital room, talking about everything and nothing.
Yaku began to notice the way Lev’s eyes lingered on him sometimes—quick, almost imperceptible glances—but they never stayed long enough for him to get a read on them.
It was late one evening when Lev found himself sitting by Yaku’s bed again, the hum of the hospital surrounding them. The room was quiet except for the soft rhythm of the heart monitor. He shouldn’t be here—not at this hour. He was meant to be gone, leaving Yaku to the night shift nurses. But there was something about Yaku. Something about the way he looked at him that tugged at Lev’s carefully constructed barriers.
Yaku’s voice cut through the silence. “You know, I could have died, right?” He smiled faintly. “I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.”
Lev stiffened, a sudden wave of panic rising in his chest. “Don’t talk like that. You’re alive. You’ll heal.”
Yaku’s smile turned bittersweet. “Not everyone gets a second chance, Lev.” His eyes glistened in the dim light. “Not everyone gets to fix their mistakes. Or… to love.”
Lev froze. The words hit him quite hard. He forced himself to speak
Yaku please leave me alone his voice trembled, he looked away unable to meet his gaze.
But the heart doesn’t listen to reason.
Yaku reached for his hand, his fingers trembling slightly. “Lev… It’s okay to be human sometimes.” I want to know the real you. You don't have to pretend when you're with me.
Lev couldn't breathe. His heart thundered. He couldn't fall in love with a patient. He was broken, distant. Yet their eyes locked he felt something inside him.
Before he could protest Yaku leaned in. Their lips met and they were kissing. But there was an undeniable hunger in their eyes. A need for them to connect. They wanted this to be real. Not just some scheme between them. It felt like a realease of their emotions. A silent promise
But Lev pulled away, his heart hammering in his chest. His voice was broken as he whispered, “I can’t… I can’t do this. I’ll lose everything.”
Yaku’s expression softened. “But what’s the point of having everything, if you don’t have *yourself*?”
Lev looked at him, at the open vulnerability in Yaku’s gaze. The words lingered in the air, heavy, unresolved. But at that moment, Lev made a choice.
The next few days were torture for Yaku. He couldn't understand how someone like Lev who always seemed so solid, so grounded could suddenly become distant. It was something deeper. Lev was pulling away and no matter how many times Yaku tried to reach out it was utter silence.
Weeks passed and Yaku couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Yaku was doing therapy. Yaku had hoped that things with Lev might return to normal. But each time he tried to, he would hesitate, unsure what to say. What could he do to make sure Lev trusted him again?
The air was cool and fresh when they met again
The world seemed to be at peace. Yaku cuddling with Lev on his arms. Lev's body was trembling as he held him. At first Yaku thought there was nothing wrong. He was coughing too but not that serious
Until a few minutes the coughing became more violent
Yaku’s heart skipped a beat he didn't know what was happening
What's going on he asked Lev
The color was draining him he became more pale
Then came the petals.
One after another delicate flower petals floated from Lev's lips drifting like snowflakes, their soft edges catching the dim lights of the stars.
Petals Yaku thought his mind was in disbelief. He looked down in horror thinking something was horribly wrong.
Lev Yaku shouted, his voice crackling. He shook Alec trying to stop whatever was happening. But Lev was trembling uncontrollably, his fingers cold and unresponsive.
The petals continued to fall
Yaku could hardly breathe. Lev what did you do? His voice was barely a whisper now choked with emotion.” What's happening? Please please tell me”
Lev's head rolled against Yaku's chest. His breath came in gasps each one with a struggle. Yaku's heart broken in that moment
I’m sorry… “Lev's voice was faint, barely a breath." Yaku….I’m so sorry. “
Yaku's throat tightened, his eyes on the verge of tears he didn't know how to stop. He held Lev tighter waiting for an answer that could explain this madness.
No no you can't leave me Lev there's nothing to be sorry for. I love you so much. I need you please don't do this to me.
Yaku I loved you Lev whispered From the moment I laid my eyes on you. But I had to do this. In order to let you live. I had to make a deal.
A deal? What do you mean Lev. What did you do?
Lev said I had to save you. I couldn't let you die. I made a deal with an angel. A price had to be paid. I had to save you Yaku, it was the only way.
Yaku heart sank a deal made with an angel? A prize? He couldn't process the words. All he knew was that Lev was dying right there and he couldn't do anything.
He couldn't come to reality. No Lev, don't leave me. I don't care about some deal. I care about you. Please don't leave. Please don't go, I'm begging you.
Lev breath was fading. The petals continued to fall. The chill of death seemed to settle on his bones and his eyes that had once burned with life were dimming growing distant.
I always love you, Yaku. Lev whispered, his voice faint. But the prize was too much.i had too. I couldn’t lose you.
Yaku’s world collapsed. He shook Lev gently, frantically but there was no response. The petals continued to fall from the sky.
Lev Yaku’s voice broke, his entire body trembling. “ Lev I can't, I can't do this without you. I can’t please come back.
Lev was already gone
Yaku remained there holding him. There was no world anymore. No future. There was only Lev, and the finality of his loss.
Lev was gone. And Yaku was left, alone, with nothing but petals that whispered of love and sacrifice and the weight of a promise that had been broken long before.